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Sep 28, 2015

Whichever works.

Putin is a bad dude. Russia's civil society has been devastated by his actions. But he's popular in Russia precisely because he was an alternative to something far worse: The oligarchs, Yeltsin, the mob.

It's not at all clear that isolation has ever been an effective strategy against a dictator. Engagement is of course very risky, but it at least has a chance of working. Giving people alternatives, compromising with them where possible, and building hope is almost always the better strategy.

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